Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell Scouting Report
Howell You Stop Him
Image 1: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) celebrating while playing against LSU
Height: 6’2
Weight: 248
Position: EDGE
Year: (RS) Senior
Background
Image 2: EDGE Cashius Howell (2) playing at Rockhurst High School
Cashius Howell was a Three-Star ATH prospect in the class of 2021 coming out of Rockhurt High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite having great production, Howell was under-recruited due to his lack of size. With his only recruiting attention coming from small mid-major programs, Howell committed to Bowling Green. At Bowling Green, Howell redshirted as a freshman and would be a rotation player before breaking out as a (RS) sophomore. During this season, Howell became a full-time starter and led the entire MAC with 9.5 sacks. Howell’s play earned him Third-Team All-Mac honors and made him a prized target in the 2024 transfer portal. Now ranked as a Four-Star EDGE prospect, Howell would transfer to Texas A&M.
At Texas A&M, Howell initially played a heavy rotational role behind the talented duo of Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton. With Stewart and Scourton leaving for the NFL, Howell has stepped into a true three-down starting role where he has blossomed into one of the top pass rushers in the entire SEC. Despite being one of the older players in the class, Howell is one of the top EDGE prospects in the 2026 NFL draft.
Athletic Tools
While not overly explosive or fast, Cashius Howell is an extremely fluid, agile EDGE who changes directions quickly both as a pass rusher and contain defender. Howell may not have the speed or explosion seen in other fun-sized high-end pass rushers, but he does have a high-end trait: bend. Unlike other smaller edges get easily rerouted with contact, Howell is highly effective at rushing using his flexible, smaller frame to bend around an OT’s punch. Though winning will be harder due to his lack of explosion or speed, Howell’s agility and bend give him winning traits to build a pass rush plan around (I imagine him being used often as a looper on TE stunts and on occasional wide alignments to get space for designed one-on-one looks).
Video 1: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) is too slow to beat the OT to the spot and fails to win using speed to power
Video 2: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) using a rip move to beat the OT around the corner and force the QB to go off-platform
Video 3: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) showcasing impressive fluidity to bend around the corner
Though he has some intriguing athletic traits, Howell is an overall putrid tools prospect. With verified 30.5 inch arms and a 73.5 inch wingspan, Howell is one of the stumpiest EDGE prospect we have seen in combine history (both Murphy brothers had longer wingspans and Sutton Smith had an extra quarter inch of arm length). Due to his lack of length and size, Howell is going to be off boards for teams that run even fronts and/or have firm arm length/height thresholds.
Image 3: EDGE Sutton Smith’s testing results during the 2019 NFL Draft Combine
Image 4: EDGE Gabriel Murphy’s testing results during the 2024 NFL Draft Combine
Image 5: EDGE Grayson Murphy’s testing results during the 2024 NFL Draft Combine
Beyond just being smaller and stumpier, Howell is a mediocre explosion and speed athlete, With most of the notable undersized pass rushers having elite initial explosion and long speed (Nolan Smith, Hasson Reddick, Micah Parson, etc), Howell is unlikely to become a high-end NFL pass rusher as he simply lacks the level of athleticism necessary to overcome such major size deficiencies.
Image 6: EDGE Nolan Smith’s testing results during the 2023 NFL Draft Combine
Image 7: EDGE Haason Reddick’s testing results during the 2017 NFL Draft Combine
Image 8: EDGE Micah Parson’s testing results during his Pro Day at Penn State
While these are major red flags for a draft prospect, I am not overly concerned as I believe Howell still has enough athletic tools to provide value on an NFL defensive line. With his agility and bend, Howell projects as a quality looper on T-E stunts. Beyond movement, Howell has surprising power for a sub-250 lb player. Howell may not be strong enough to challenge a well-positioned tackle’s anchor or be a high-level crasher on stunts, but he is effective enough to utilize speed-to-power when OTs get out of position in space.
Video 4: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) loops on a T-E stunt and penetrates the A gap for a sack
Video 5: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) fails to land the club, but still generates a pressure when he converts to power
Video 6: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) generating a pressure when converting speed-to-power
Technicals
With arm length being important when getting into position against the run or finishing tackles, Howell’s short arms are understandably worrisome. However, Howell is does not struggle in the run despite his massive length disadvantage. While he can get driven out of gaps due to his smaller frame, Howell uses his accurate hand strikes and quick feet to consistently get into proper position with blockers. Beyond being technical, Howell is a very high effort player who plays with physicality when striking blocks and engaging with pullers. Howell will have whiffs due to his lack of length, but he has been a shockingly effective open-field tackler for an EDGE. Overall, Howell is a capable enough run defender, where his lack of length does not deter me from having faith in his translation.
Video 7: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) getting in perfect position to make a play in the C gap if the run bounced outside
Video 8: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) strikes with physicality and accuracy when face up with the OT to gain control of the C gap
Video 9: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) displays a rip move to disengage from the block
Video 10: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) strikes a puller with physicality and spins off the block to make an impressive open field tackle
Video 11: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) gets into good position, but loses his shoulder and gets pushed out the gap after being out-muscled by the OT
Beyond being a fine enough run defender for early down work, Howell can provide value outside of pass rush due to his coverage ability. Though not at the level of an actual LB, Howell is a smart open-field tackler that is able to take proper angles and tackle consistently. Due to this, Howell has value as a potential coverage unit player on special team. While in space, Howell is not the rangiest athlete, but he is a capable enough coverage player to handle simple assignments when asked to drop.
Video 12: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) aligned as a overhang defender and makes a textbook open-field tackle after quickly reading the screen
Video 13: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) drops into coverage and makes an impressive open field tackle despite having a speed disadvantage
In terms of his pass rush, Howell is incredibly fun. Without the power, speed, or explosion to out-athlete OTs, Howell wins primarily with his technical refinement, motor, and fluidity. Whether its chops, spins, or ghost moves, Howell has reps where he makes college OTs look silly trying to mirror with him. While his effectiveness as a speed rusher will not translate to the NFL due to his lack of high end tools, Howell’s ability to bend through contract will be a useful asset when he attempts to win around the outsides shoulder or loops. Howell may not have the freaky tools typically seen in smaller EDGEs, but I believe he has enough athleticism to have a role in the NFL.
Video 14: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) attempts to use a cross chop, but lacks the speed and explosion to win against the OT
Video 15: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) using a rip move before whiffing the tackle for the sack
Video 16: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) using a ghost move and nearly getting to the QB
Video 17: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) using a quick inside spin counter to penetrate the B gap
Video 18: EDGE Cashius Howell (9) using a ghost move to get a sack on the QB
Draft Projection
Cashius Howell currently has a third round grade. While this is lower than his current first round grading at the time of this report, Howell is a solid NFL prospect in spite of his outlier measurables. Despite lacking the length, size, and athleticism desired in highly drafted EDGEs, Howell has truly maxed out what is possible with his god-given ability by being a high motor technician with good fluidity. Howell is a player I do not expect to ever be a highly productive pass rusher or high-end starter, but I believe he has everything you need to be a contributing rotational piece for a defense.
Athletic Testing
Will be updated after the NFL Combine/Texas A&M Pro Day
Pro Comparison
Image 8: EDGE Kyle Van Noy (53) during is 2024 Pro Bowl season with the Baltimore Ravens
A true ageless wonder, Kyle Van Noy reminds me a lot of Cashius Howell. A 6’3 243 lb EDGE with sub 32-inch arms and a 4.7 40, Kyle Van Noy has bucked trends by being a smaller, unathletic edge who has developed into a heavy rotation player despite lacking starter-level size and athleticism. While he ideally is not your best pass rusher, Van Noy is an assignment versatile player who uses his technique, motor, and agility to be productive. Though his size and length limit him, Van Noy is still a capable run defender who can lock out defenders and play violently on early downs. By being a similarly limited athlete with great motor and technique, Howell can be a high-end rotational 3-4 OLB who is enough of a run defender to play on early downs.
Date Published: 10/19/2025
Date Last Updated: 10/19/2025